


One too many phone rings

by wildcursive



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, M/M, marriage proposals, mentioned Cor and Ravus, post Episode Ignis Verse 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 05:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14036838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildcursive/pseuds/wildcursive
Summary: An emergency and a phone mishap lead Noctis to some interesting discoveries about Ignis and his use of emojis. Also, they definitely deserve each other.





	One too many phone rings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! This is my gift for for @backseatfishing on tumblr for the Ignoct White Day exchange. They said they wanted something sweet with older Ignoct and I hope this satisfies. Not betaed, any and all mistakes are mine, hope you enjoy!

It's a warm late summer afternoon, several months after Ardyn's defeat and Noctis is trying not to face plant into the latest stack of reports that need his attention. Outside his chambers' open window the sun is just beginning to set to the sounds of Insomnia rebuilding, workers using the sunlight to its last ray now that it is back, as if afraid it might leave them again at any moment. Inside Noctis' chambers the silence remains unbroken as he tries to get through a missive from the border with his eyes drooping.

His head is just about to hit the solid surface of the desk, impact not softened by the stack of paper in-between, when the door opens and manages to startle him, if only slightly, into wakefulness. It is Ignis that walks in, Kingsglaive attire impeccable and flattering and gait sure. There is a can of ebony in his hand and a small stack of folders under his arm, which make Noctis let out an involuntary growl.

"Noct," the nickname is said with the usual smile and a look of fondness from under Ignis' glasses that always warms Noctis to the core, even if currently there is a slight tinge of exasperation in it at Noctis’ half asleep state.

Ignis places the can of ebony at the edge of his desk, stacking the folders neatly next to it and then his back straightens, his eyes meeting Noctis' for several long moments.

"Specs," he responds in kind, feeling the smile come to his lips unbidden.

Ignis is moving again, taking the few steps needed to round the desk, and Noctis in his chair turns slightly to the side in anticipation. He accepts the kiss eagerly, one hand reaching up to tangle in soft hair, while Ignis cradles his jaw in a warm palm, their free hands finding each other quickly, fingers intertwining.

They part, faces still close and Noctis concludes yet again that this is by far his favorite moment of his workday and for three decades of his life – however eschewed the passing of the third one was – he never would have imagined having such a routine. He had always loved Ignis and Ignis had always loved him in kind, but as Prince and his adviser, they were never meant to act upon their feelings. And they never did. As the Crystal’s Chosen One, Noctis was supposed to be the sacrifice that would bring the light back and as his confidant Ignis was meant to ensure he fulfilled that role.

Leave it to Ignis to oppose the Astrals themselves, he thinks, raising from his seat to fully press against the man. The memory of him on the brink of death in Gralea makes Noctis clench his teeth and bury his head in his shoulder, but the feel of warm hands immediately encircling his waist brings him back and he lifts his head to meet his lover’s concerned gaze with a reassuring smile. He is okay, thanks to Ignis. They saved each other.

 “Ready to go home?” Ignis asks softly.

“Yeah,” he responds, leaning in to steal a second kiss.

The endeavor is interrupted by what sounds like a small cacophony coming from Ignis’ jacket pocket. It sounds like a standard ringtone, Noctis realizes. The restored mobile network must finally be online again, he remembers seeing a note about that in yesterday’s reports. There is something off about this sound, however and it only becomes clear when Ignis pulls out a phone from his pocket and answers it while the ringing continues, the melody easily recognizable now that it is a singular one.

“Scientia,” Ignis answers, his free hand still keeping Noctis close, but his tone has immediately turned neutral and miles off from the softness of the past moments. The other phone in his pocket is still ringing. “And the King’s presence is also required, I presume?” his eyes settle back on Noctis’. “I see. Very well, I will inform him.” The ringing stops. “I will be there soon, Marshal.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Ravus; he apparently had an altercation with a small military force, Nifflheim radicalists presumably.”

Ravus had just left the day before after a visit to Insomnia to negotiate supply lines between Lucis and Tenebrae. He must have encountered the group just outside the city.

“You are to meet with him, while the Marshall has called me to assist on site,” Ignis responds and Noctis sees the almost imperceptible tightness set on his face. Before he can ask what s wrong, Ignis reaches into his jacket to hand him the second phone he kept there. “Here, the base mobile infrastructure is back online, so I was going to give this to you at home later,” he smiles as their fingers brush, but it seems slightly forced. “I took the liberty of adding some contacts to your phonebook, Gladio and Prompto also got theirs earlier.”

“Right, thanks, Specs,” he answers, giving his lover’s hand a squeeze and turning to the door. “Dinner is postponed, I take it?”

“Indeed, regretfully,” Ignis agrees and escorts him out.

* * *

The meeting with Ravus is brief, there is not much to say. He and the handful of troops accompanying him were ambushed by a dozen or so assailants, but managed to deal with them, relatively easily and without casualties. Ravus seems to have been the one who took the most blows. A red stain on the side of his usually impeccable white attire covers a now patched up slash over his ribs and when he was escorted in Noctis noticed him limping. With the power of the Lucii gone the best he can do is not keep the other man too long and send him back to his previously vacated quarters to recover. It is up to Cor and Ignis’ interrogation efforts to establish what they are dealing with now.

Gladio is waiting for him outside of the room. There are two Glaives standing just behind him, who rush to assist Ravus.

“Can’t get rid of them Niffs, huh?” he huffs unamused, sending the Glaives off with a glance.

“Apparently,” Noctis agrees.

“Marshal said he and Iggy will get to the bottom of this fast.” He slaps Noctis on the back, not at all softly, and smiles. “C’mon, Majesty, I’m under orders from your boyfriend to escort you home.”

‘Home’ is one of the chambers on the same floor as his father’s suite. The whole floor has been mostly rebuilt, but Noctis could not live between the same four walls he remembered waking up to as a kid when he'd had nightmares and his dad would come and carry him to his own bed. While nothing like the splendor of the Citadel of his youth, the rooms he now shares with Ignis are more luxurious than he thinks is practical in the current situation, with housing still a problem for many. A moderately-sized bedroom holds their large bed, which is covered in soft linen sheets which Ignis apparently dug out of some secret stash, Noctis is not sure, but his adviser had been very satisfied with the whole affair, muttering about thread counts the whole afternoon. The wardrobe in the corner now seems to hold more of the casual clothes Noctis preferred a decade ago than it does suits, because he still tries to get out there and give people a hand personally, like they did at the beginning of their trip, after everything crumpled.

The bedroom connects to a large living room with a dedicated kitchen space. While the layout is different from the apartment he lived in during school, living in it feels much the same, with the added benefit of Ignis being a constant fixture, of course. While it lacks his old video games and comics strewn everywhere, there are now entirely too many photos gifted to them by Prompto adorning walls and shelves, as well as various knickknacks from on their trip. Thanks to Ignis’ ventures in the past decade, there are also several shelves stacked to the limit with books. Noctis’ fishing gear rests in a corner underneath one of them.

Out of his official clothes, Noctis settles on the sofa, remembering the phone Ignis gave him and taking it out. Maybe in the not so near future there will be someone interested in getting the King's Knight servers back up and running, he thinks. Until then he will have to do with the built in Sudoku and solitaires. The screen unlocks without a passcode and switches from a neutral background to a photo... of himself? It is not one he recognizes, though he remembers when it must have been taken. It was one of the weekends with official business put on hold for a trip into the city to help with the substantial stuff like clearing out debris and rebuilding homes. Prompto had been snapping too many pictures as usual, the sound of his camera melting into the background as Noctis met with people and asked after their needs.

In this photo he is the only one in the frame, though he remembers having a conversation with an elderly woman. It's shot from the side, but the moment it caught has him with his head turned towards the camera, eyes averted, a hand reaching to scratch at his neck and a slightly uncomfortable smile on his face. It is a wholly un-kingly gesture and Noctis wonders whether Ignis putting it as his home screen was meant to be a subtle admonishment on his adviser's part about kingly poise and whatnot. He swaps right, intent on changing the picture as soon as he can. There is a calendar application on the next screen and surprised Noctis discovers it has already been filled with tasks for the next several weeks. When did Ignis find the time to input his schedule into it? A closer inspection reveals meetings and duties for even the next day that he was not aware of, such as a meeting with Monica about a new group of refugees coming over from Duscae. There is also something termed ‘consultation with Prompto,’ which has apparently occurred earlier today. A few more clicks through the itinerary later, it dawns on him that this must be Ignis’ schedule and, in fact, Ignis’ phone. His adviser must have answered the wrong one with the two of them ringing at the same time. There is one more way to confirm it, Noctis thinks, opening the phonebook. Cindy and Cor come up first, there are a couple of names he recognizes as Glaives or councilmen, then there is Gladio and the only ‘I’ that follows is Iris. It is several names down that he sees it - ‘Noct’. But what catches Noctis’ eye is the small symbol following the four letters. Ignis is not a fan of using emojis, pretty much ever, but there is undoubtedly a small ring emoji next to Noctis’ name.

Lightning fast, he scrolls down the few remaining names to get to the one he needs.

“Hey, Iggy!” comes Prompto’s cheerful voice on the other end of the line. “Is this about th-”

“Prompto,” Noctis cuts him off. “I need your help.”

* * *

“Dude,” Prompto laughs, looking at the ring box in Noctis’ hand. “You two deserve each other.”

The ring, a family heirloom, though much more benign than that of the Lucii, has sat in Noctis’ pocket for the past several weeks and seeing it and Noctis’ name in Ignis’ contacts list, Prompto doesn’t even try to unsuccessfully lie about the 'consultation' Ignis had with him. Information exchanged and amount of favors Noctis will own him back later calculated, Prompto sets out, while Noctis heads down to the kitchens.

* * *

A few hours later he receives a call from Cor who reports that they have secured the assailants and neutralized the threat, with a briefing for him and the council scheduled early in the morning tomorrow.

Ignis returns soon after and Noctis judges he’s done a good job by the way he stops, frozen in place, his hand still on the doorknob.

“So, before you go after Prompto, you must know he did not have the chance to deny it.”

“Because I gave you my phone,” Ignis sighs. “To think of the excuses I had to make to have Cor call you instead,” he mutters, finally closing the door and toeing off his shoes.

Noctis walks forward then, taking the few steps needed to reach Ignis, and kisses him for several long moments, then taking his hands and walking backwards to pull him further into the living-room. There are entirely too many flowers, the table is set with the best the current Citadel kitchen can offer, and the only light in the room comes from a few dozen candles placed all around, courtesy of Prompto.

“Not only. But he did say that you really wanted to do this today, even if he did not know why, so it would have been a shame to have you miss the opportunity.”

Ignis lets go of his hands and pulls him in by the waist instead.

“I am ashamed to admit that it is simply because I am an impatient man.” At Noctis’ questioning look he continues. “How long must one wait to propose to the man he has loved his whole life after they have just reclaimed their home and started rebuilding it? This is what I asked myself.

When the council came up with estimates for the rebuilding process, having the mobile network up was the first item on the agenda that was not critical like establishing secure food and water supplies or housing. ‘The moment we have a shred of stability’ I thought.”  

One hand leaves Noctis’ waist and reaches into the pocket of his jacket, the one opposite of where their phones were, to procure a tiny black box. The ring inside is exquisite, likely made by Dino, Noctis thinks, looking at the dark shining metal and the small blue gemstone in the middle.

“Noct, love, I don’t want to spent another day, let alone a decade without you,” Ignis says, his beautiful eyes staring straight into Noctis’. “Will you marry me?”

“You reasonable, sensible, sap,” Noctis chuckles. “On one condition,” he responds, reaching into his own pocket. “Ignis, love of my life, you put the Ring of the Lucii for me, will you now accept this one and marry me?”

“Did you have this the whole time?”

“Yes, I was waiting for the right moment when it would no longer be too soon to propose to my adviser who I’ve loved my whole life.”

Ignis chuckles and leans to kiss him.

***                                 

Later, when they finally sit at the table to eat their by now cold food, rings glinting on their fingers, Noctis remembers to ask.

“So you use emojis now?”

“Not a word, Noct.”

“I’m just asking if I am supposed to do the same when I get my actual phone.”

The next morning, when they do exchange phones, Noctis immediately opens the contacts tab to find a ring emoji already next to Ignis’ name.

He adds a heart.  

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, Ignis is a sap and so am I. Also, yes, the title is a bad attempt at a pun, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments are love. <3


End file.
